Once you get past the 6-foot-2 inch exterior and 247 pounds of bulging muscle, Bo Dixon is just a normal guy. From volunteering at a local botanical garden to reading the latest political news, his hobbies illustrate that he’s much more than “a dumb southern bodybuilder.”

As an NPC competitor, Dixon is one grade down from getting paid professionally and works a day job in marketing/IT management to pay the bills. When he isn’t busy with his pectorals or hydrangeas, the muscleman manages to squeeze in some time for his family – an adoring partner, whom he hopes to eventually marry, and a wonderful dog.

On top of all that, the thick-bearded, hirsute powerhouse has also become a staple of COLT Studio Group. His muscle worship video remains one of the studio’s most popular solo films.

“I liked the idea of having my hard work captured in time on film,” he confessed. “The worship videos are not considered a big deal. Many top bodybuilders have done them. Now, the porn is another story.”

The success of Dixon’s COLT solo work led to pressure from the studio and Internet fans. They wanted more hardcore sexual content. Many studios made offers, but he turned them down. He was uncomfortable filming a scene with someone he had no attraction to.

However, after an online friend assured Dixon that adult work was fun and lucrative, he agreed to film a scene in Hot House Entertainment’s Paging Dr. Finger, a decision he regretted after meeting his current romantic partner.

“The Internet has made things difficult for us because explicit images of me having sex with another man have been splattered all over the Web,” he divulges.

Pictures weren’t the only thing exposed on the Web. Bodybuilder and porn blogs began linking Bo Dixon to his real-life counterpart, and the attention led to some disturbing situations. Strangers have contacted Dixon and his partner at their jobs, but that’s not even the scariest length a stalker has gone to be with him.

“When I was single, one person in Virginia contacted me on the Internet and begged me to break his arms and legs for cash. It was psychotic. Two years later, the same guy contacted me through MySpace and pretended to offer me an IT job with AOL. He claimed to work in lower management,” he says.

Dixon accepted the offer to move to Virginia and stayed with the man until he could get settled. As one might suspect, the obsessed fan made sexual advances towards him and didn’t appreciate being offered a measly friendship.

“He locked himself in his room blogging, calling people from my cell phone. He stole it while I was sleeping at night. The guy admitted to being bipolar, and I was lucky to have gotten out before any physical harm occurred.”

Even so, he did not emerge from the scenario unscathed. Through his blog, ValleyWag.com, the man stirred up a vicious rumor about Dixon and multi-millionaire Gurbaksh Chahal. Though the two men share the same trainer, they have never met. The rumor suggested Dixon trained Chahal and offered him sexual favors on the side.

“My images and reputation have been put in harm’s way due to a lack of Internet laws targeted at copyright and slander. My stage name and real life have been compromised. If I can’t get control over this, it is time for me to speak up and share my story,” he states.

“It would be nice if studios, bars and promoters would not use my photos without permission. I never expected all of this attention, but I have grown to love my fans, and I will continue to give them the images they ask for in new calendars and magazine spreads.

“The Internet is the new frontier, but it shouldn’t be a place that mercilessly exposes a person’s life.”

While Bo Dixon’s life has been exposed in several ways, what many fans don’t know about the hunk is that he is also a professional body builder. In fact this summer, he will compete as an openly gay man for the Mr. Georgia title.

We chatted with the thick-bearded powerhouse about his battle for the title and how nude photos on the Internet nearly derailed his bodybuilding career...

Gay & Lesbian Times: How is it being an out gay man in a hyper-masculine, testosterone-driven industry like professional body building?

Bo Dixon: When competing at a show, my focus is on winning. I’m never thinking, “I am a gay bodybuilder.” I’m thinking of how my trainers and coaches have done the best they can to prepare me for this event and how I want to do the best I can for them and for me.

GLT: How do other athletes treat you?

BD: In general, I’m treated like any other athlete but at a recent competition in Los Angeles, I did notice some gay bodybuilders would not approach me after I publicly kissed my partner on the lips. Many gay athletes fear being black balled.

GLT: Have you encountered any bias from judges?

Judges are supposed to evaluate athletes strictly on mass, proportions, balance and showmanship. But yes, there have been times that I suspected a judge’s opinion was fogged by their feelings towards gay men.

GLT: How did you begin posing for gay muscle worship videos?

BD: At most competitions, there are people that scout bodybuilders for the Gay Male Muscle Worship industry. Colt and studios like them actually send agents to find their next stars. One day I was approached, and a few weeks later, I was meeting with Colt executives.

GLT: How did the body building industry react to your appearing on the cover of a Colt calendar?

BD: They didn’t really know about it. Those that did distanced themselves from me for fear of others thinking they might be gay.

GLT: Were you making a statement by appearing in the calendar, or did you simply see it as an opportunity to show off your physique?

BD: It was an opportunity to show off what I had accomplished through years of hard work. Growing up, I was a 130-pound bean-pole. I’ll always be that skinny kid inside but this was my chance to show the world the new me.

GLT: How did you go from Colt to porn?

BD: I was young and naïve. I wanted people to like me. But it was wrong from the start. My first day on the set, I was ready to run out the door. I was worried, though, that the Internet bloggers would have a field day saying I was a coward or sissy. Also, I am a southern gentleman. In the south, when you agree to do something, you do it. I was trapped in my own ethics and obligation.

GLT: What did appearing in gay porn cost you and your career?

BD: I had no clue that the adult film company would sell my images all over the Internet. They’re everywhere! Today, my image is promoting gay muscle worship sites, muscle bear parties, sex sites, dating sites… you name it! I don’t make a dime from any of the parties or sites I’m promoting, nor do I have any control over who uses my images.

GLT: Many of the images on the Internet are extremely graphic.

BD: I shot the film three months before meeting my partner, so he was aware of it. We didn’t think it would be too big a deal because we foolishly believed it would be for DVD release only. We weren’t prepared to see images of me having sex with another man splashed all over the Internet and posted in blogs.

GLT: You didn’t think that appearing in an adult film might make you a porn “star”?

BD: The only thing I knew about adult films was that they were rented or sold in the back of a video store. I thought it was a small underground industry. I didn’t know there would be worldwide distribution in multimedia via the Internet. I didn’t realize the photos would be searchable through Google.

GLT: What did you do when you became aware that the film was not going to be something you could sweep under the rug?

BD: I took a year off from competitions and was ready to hang up my posing trunks. It was awful.

GLT: How did your partner react?

BD: My partner has been my real support system through it all. He made me realize that shooting the video was a mistake that I’ll have to accept and deal with it. It is my tattoo to wear.

GLT: Is it true that you now battle Internet stalkers?

BD: The Internet has become the doorway for crazy people to get into your home and personal life. I have trusted a few bad people that I met online. One fan stole my cell phone and called everyone on it to get information about me and my relationships. He then posted horrific lies about me and linked it with search engines under Bo Dixon. Unfortunately, the government does not have many laws to protect anyone from cyber bullies.

GLT: Isn’t that why most adult stars use stage names?

BD: Stage names aren’t enough. Obsessed fans will dig as far as they can to find out your personal information. There are gay men and bloggers that find gratification in exposing adult stars for who they really are.

GLT: What advice would you give to a young man thinking about entering porn?

BD: If you get into the business, just know that the money does not pay for you to have a bodyguard or extra security. You’re paid once and that’s it. It can be tough because the studio creates a persona for you and then you’re expected to act like your sexual character in public.

GLT: Where do you go from here?

BD: The videos are so far behind me now. People will watch them forever, but I have continued to train and hope to win the overall title at my next bodybuilding contest. If I win, I am on to the nationals.

GLT: What is the most important lesson you have learned in your career?

BD: I have learned to embrace it all – my bodybuilding, my past and great fans. People tell me that I inspire them to get off the couch and go to the gym. On my Facebook Fan page I tell people what I am eating, give them tips on training and I show them that a man over 40 can still look hot.